Air heater



1 y 1931.- c. A. soANs AIR HEATER Filed March 11. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l C 1 WWW May 12, 1931.

I c. A. SOANS AIR'HEATER Filed March 11. 1 29 2 Sheets-Shet 2 ZZZ/4922702" 722 Q. 50w.

Patented May 12, 1931 entree srarss emu. A. SOANS, F WHEATQN, W918 ME EATER Application filed March 11, 1929. en-la]. No. 346,128.

The invention relates to improvements in air heaters, and relates more particularly to the concealed type of room heater which is frequently enclosed in an ornamental casing 63 or which may be contained within the wall of the room which is to be heated. The objects of the invention are to provide an eficient, light-weight, economical and rugged airheating" unit of the class described, capable of being manufactured and installed with a minimum of expense and inconvenience.

In the drawings, which illustrate the preferred application of the invention:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a heater unit, certain parts being broken away in order to condense the drawing or to disclose the interior of the construction.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the unit shown in Fig. 1, the casing being removed.

% ig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of d is a section taken on the line M oi 1 3.

lg. 5 is a sectional elevation through the wall of the room showing the unit as used in a wall casing.

6 is a perspective view showing one end portion of the core or body of the Fig. '1? is a perspective view of one or" the intermediate vanes.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view oi one of the end vanes.

Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of modified forms of vanes.

Figs. 11 and 12 are plan views of other modified forms of vanes.

Fig. 13 is a sectional plan through a portion of the body wall and associated vane w parts,- showing a slightly modified type of vane construction.

Preferably, the core or body portion of the heater unit is constructed oi sheet metal of high conductivity, for example, sheet aluminum. lt may be made from a single stamping folded to form in efiect a chamber somewhat wedgeshaped in vertical cross section and extending horizontally for the de sired length. The seam or connection is desirably made at the hottore only, for ex ample, by welding as shown at 21 in Figs. 2 and 4:.

On account of the limited space available in an ordinarily wall, the horizontal dimensions of the unit are desirably kept as small as possible, and therefore the body portion 20 is made as narrow as feasible. However, the ends of the body are expanded or enlarged at the bottom, as shown at 22, in order to furnish the necessary opening for recep tion of the pipe which conveys steam or other heating fluid to the interior of the heater. Each end of the body is closed by an end plate 24, which may he made of cast aluminurn, fitting within and welded to the end of the hollow body. The bottom of said plate 24 is made with a suitable boss 25 internally threaded to fit the pipe connection, and the upper extremity of the end plate 24 is also enlarged and tapped for the usual air vent m connection 26. The end plate 2t also constitutes the means of attachment by which the unit is supported in its casing 27, and to this end the latter is loolted to the end pieces 2 lay pairs of suitable screws 28 threaded l5 into holes tapped in the said end plates 24.

The exterior of the body portion 20 of the unit is extruded to form a series of vertically extending parallel spaced ribs or lands 29, said ribs or lands 29 being made with their side walls as nearly at right angles to the plane of the body portion as is feasible in view of manufacturing requirements.

Said ribs or corrugations 29, which desir v ably stop short of the upper and lower extrem= ities of the body so as not to interfere with the folding or forming oi" the body blank into the necessary tubular shape, not only Wreatly increase the rigidity of the tuhularv body portion and its capacity to maintain its shape when subjected to internal presure, but also furnish the required support and contact for the vane elements, a pair of which vane elements, in the present instance, are arranged to fit between said ribs or corrugations 29. The external horizontal width of each land or corrug'ation is desirably equal to the space between the individual vanes 30, so that the space between corrugations is preferably the U-shaped or wedge-shaped opening in the vane blanks will at all times be forced resiliently against the side walls of the corrugations, thereby maintaining eificient metalto-metal contact between the vane and body, notwithstanding inaccuracies of manufacture or other unsatisfactory conditions. This result is obtained by connecting together adjacent vanes in such manner that they tend to change thespacing of their inner. edges. In the present instance, I prefer to give the pairs of vanes an expane sive tendency in view of the fact that the connected pair of vanes is located between adjacent corrugations, although, it the alternate pairs of vanes are connected, it would. be obvious that such vanes might be given a collapsive tendency tending to pinch the corrugations between them.

As shown best in F i s. 7 and 8, the resiliency of the vanes is e ected by making the latter of 'a duplex or hollow box type, the connection in the preferred form being made down one side flange, as shown at 32 of a lock seam.. It is obivous that when forming the box-shaped duplex vane, the press is so arranged that the internal angles of the box corners are slightly in excess of ninety degrees so that the internal areas of the parts of the fins of the duplex pair will tend to expand sufliciently to cause the desired pressure against the side walls of the corrugations.

On account of the bulge 22 at each end of the unit, it is necessary to enlarge the wedgeshaped opening of the end vanes, as shown at 33. This enables the entire length of the unit to be equi ped with vanes.

In Fig. 9, I have shown a simplified form of vane in which the lock seam is dispensed with, the necessary resilience being supplied by the single connecting flange 34.

In Fig. 10, I have shown another form of vane in which the joint is made above the core. This form has some advantages over that shown in Fig. 9, but is somewhat more expensive to manufacture.

In Fig. 11, I have shown a vane somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 10, but with the open joint 35 on one side only.

In Fig. 12, I have shown a somewhat ditlerent arrangement of vanes, being a combination of the forms shown in Figs. 9 and 10, a suitable number of vanes being made from a single strip of sheet metal.

In Fig. 13, there is shown a method of reinforcing-or stifiening the inner edges or margins of the vane parts which extend around the wedge-shaped openings in contact with the corrugations of the body. As shown in Fig. 13, instead of having the inner edges of the vanes chopped ofi square, they are extended and formed to constitute substantially right-angled flanges 36, the bend havin an external radius not less than the radius 0 the corner or angle of the groove between adjacent corrugations. Said flange 36 preferably extends the entire distance around the edge of the wedge-shaped openings in the vanes, and not only improves the metal-to-metal contact between the body and the vanes but also materially stiflens the vanes and prevents distortion of the latter if there is any material tendency of the body portion to expand under internal pressure.

The described details of construction and operation are merely illustrative of a single application of m invention, the scope of which should be etermined by reference to the appended claims, said claims being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. In an air heater, the combination of a body provided with a series of grooves spaced apart along the body, and a series of fins spaced from each other throughout substantially their entire extent fitting within said grooves and provided with opposed resiliently spaced portions arranged to exert opposed force in the direction of the spacing between 'said fins so as to maintain said portions resiliently in engagement with the' sides of said grooves.

2. In an air heater, the combination of a tubular body of substantially uniform cross section and provided with a series of grooves spaced apart along the tube and extending at substantially right angles to the axis of the tube, and a seriesof spaced fins fitting within said grooves and provided with opposed resiliently spaced portions arranged to ex-- ert opposed forces parallel with the axis of the tube so as to maintain said parts resiliently in engagement with the sides of the grooves.

3. In an air heater, the combination of a grooved body portion and a series of fins arranged on said body portion in pairs spaced from each other throughout substantially their entire extent and resiliently engaging the walls of said grooves in the direction of the spacing between said fins.

4. In an air heater, the combination of a tubular body provided with a series of extruded parts spaced apart along the body and forming grooves in the exterior of the latter, and a series of spaced fins fitting between said extrusions, the fins being arranged in pairs with an integral flange-like connecting and-spacing part between the fins of the pair tending to exert opposed forces on the fins in the direction of the spacing. and thereby to change said spacing so as to cause said fins to maintain resilient contact with the side walls of the grooves.

5. In an air heater, the combination of a body provided with corrugations on its outer surface and fins arranged in said corrugations, and flanges each common to a pair of adjacent fins and resiliently tending to maintain the inner edges of said fins in contact with the side walls of said corrugations.

6. In an air heat'er, the combination of a straight tubular body portion having its axis horizontal and of elongated shape in vertical cross section, the opposite side walls of the body being formed with external corrugations, a series of bifurcated fins fitting within the corrugations and flanges located in a vertical plane, parallel with the axis of the tube and connecting adjacent fins and cooperating with the resilience of the metal in said fins to maintain the inner edges of the bifurcated portions of said fins in resilient contact with the side walls of the corrugations.

7. In an air heater, the combination of a series of fins, a body provided with parallel grooves in its outer surface, each groove accommodating a pair of adjacent and substantially parallel fins and means resiliently tending to maintain the inner edges of said fins in contact with the side walls of said grooves.

8. In an air heater, the combination of a tubular bod portion having its axis horizontal and o elongated shape in vertical cross section, the opposite side walls of the body being formed withexternal horizontally spaced vertical grooves and a series of pairs of spaced fins, each pair fitting Within one of said grooves, the fins being provided with vertically extending flanges located in a vertical plane parallel with the axis of the 'tube, and integrally connecting adjacent fins and cooperating with the resilience of the metal in said fins tomaintain the inner edges of the inner portions of said fins in resilient contact with the side walls of the grooves.-

9. In an'air heater, the combination of a body portion having a plurality of external grooves, the opposite walls of each groove being substantially parallel, and a series of fins arranged on said body portion in pairs and resiliently engaging said walls of said grooves.

10. In a air heater, the combination of a body provided with a plurality of grooves on its outer surface, fins arranged in said grooves, and a flange common to each pairpf adjacent fins and resiliently tending to main tain the inner edges of each pair of fins in contact with the opposite walls of one of said grooves.

11. In an air heater, the combination of a series of fins, a body provided with parallel grooves in its outer surface, each groove aocommodating a pair of adjacent fins, and means connecting said fins and resiliently tending to maintain the inner edges thereof in contact with the side walls of said grooves.

12. In an air heater, the combination of a series of fins, a body provided with parallel grooves in its outer surface, each groove accommodating a pair of adjacent and substantially parallel fins, and means connecting said fins and resiliently tending to maintain the inner edges thereof in contact with the side walls of said grooves.

CYRIL A. SOAN S. 

